Ulex minor

Family: Fabaceae

The Gorse is a thorny shrub belonging to the same family as peas. The thorns are intended to dissuade herbivores from eating the plant. Those animals, in turn, target the young branches, which are less woody and therefore hurt less to eat.

This species is nitrogen-fixing, therefore turning soil more rich in nitrogen (vital for its fertility!). People used to burn them and spread their ash in agricultural fields.

This is a species that regrows easily from fire and it's considered to be important in regenerating the soils and ecosystems after disturbance, in what's know as ecological succession.

 During the hottest months of summer, you can hear small cracking sounds when you're close to these bushes. It is the pods cracking under the heat, releasing the seeds into the air.

Arbustus unedo

Arbutus unedo

Family: ERICACEAE

 The strawberry tree has this name in the English language due to lack of originality. In Portugal we call it Medronheiro; in Spain Madronheiro, in France Arbúsier. The fruits are not the regular strawberries you see in the market. They are also edible, red and yellow. They have a spherical shape and rough texture, almost resembling a litchi. The fruits may contain an alcoholic beverage, since their sugars start fermenting on the tree, when it's ripe. 

 This tree actually belongs to the heather family, as you might tell by the bell-shaped flowers. It's a remnant of the Laurissilva, the old kind of Forest that existed in Europe before the Glacial Ages.

 There are many known insect associations with this tree, notably butterfly larvae eating the leaves.

 The Portuguese people make a very strong fruit brandy called "águardente de Medronho": The Medronho firewater.

The white bell-shaped flowers of Arbutus unedo

Erica umbellata

Family: Ericaceae

This is an heath, belonging to the heather family. In April and May, you're able to see entirely pink cliffs or hills in Gerês, called heathlands. They gain this color due to the tiny urn shaped (urceolate) flowers  of this heath. Their power over the landscape comes from the sheer quantity of blossoms that each plant has.

 This is a very hardy plant, colonizing driest areas in the mountains, with poor and acid soils. They are also very resistant to fire and cold temperatures.

These flowers have a sweet scent that is very appreciated in honey.

Ilex aquifolium

Family: Aquifoliaceae

  How well do you know this famous tree? Everyone associates the holly with Christmas. Why? 
The holly is a remnant of the Laurissilva, a sub-tropical type of Forest which used to cover Europe before the last glaciation. It evolved so well to resist the cold that we now link it to winter. It bears red fruits in November and December, being valuable and rare food for many wild animals.
This species has separated male and female individuals, so not every tree will have fruits (the males don’t produce fruits!)

   So, why is Holly associated with Christmas?

 It’s actually a very old tradition, older than Christianity. Pagan Europeans celebrated the winter solstice, viewed as the birth of summer (and not Christ!) since days start to grow from that date. Holly was a sacred plant for them, especially in the winter when almost every other plant seems to faint.